I Needed This (Rhys)

[Midori Hawkins]

It wasn’t often that Midori escaped Hammel during a working day, unless it was an emergency recruiting assignment. Those came few and far between now, and never to her now. James had been kind enough to give her plenty of notice so that she could arrange care for Tory. Granted, it wasn’t really that hard. Either Eli got a phone call, asking if he’d be all right with Tory for a day or two, or she called Darryl. Usually, Eli didn’t have a problem with it, but it was still nice to give him notice.

It was one of those days that Mii felt restless, cooped up in her office. The weather was still miraculously nice, and with the leaves turning, she was happy. She loved fall. She loved the idea of going out and finding Tory a Halloween costume, even if it was for nothing more than pictures to send her family, and to keep herself and Eli entertained.

Though coffee was readily available in the lounge, it was also notoriously bad. The recruiter had taken it upon herself to call a coffee break, and after letting James know she would be out of the office for a little bit (she didn’t think he blamed her, he was a coffee mainliner too), she made the little drive into town.

She had missed coffee. She’d missed a lot of things while she was pregnant, and Eli had endured endless whining about all of them. One downside, she supposed, to living with your pregnant best friend. Granted, he also listened to whining now. Just that morning as she’d flopped into the kitchen, she’d bemoaned the fact that she still had baby fat. That had sparked the debate of baby fat vs. baby weight, and was probably a good reason as to why she was going to get coffee alone.

Midori slipped into her favourite café and placed her order before retreating to a booth that was in the sunlight. The heat was nice, but not enough to make her remove her shrug, she was still a little self-conscious about her baby weight.

Once the coffee arrived, she began flipping through the file she’d brought along with her. It was a jumble of receipts that she was attempting to put into an expense report, and had been doing so since she’d first got it. It was just one of those jobs that didn’t really appeal to her. Maybe it would be better after her caffeine fix.

[Rhys Rockwood]

Rhys was not quite as considerate or professional as Midori. When he started feeling antsy and just couldn't sit still behind a desk for a moment longer, he would set his phone to forward to his cell number, change into running clothes in the bathroom, and take off for a while...which is exactly what he did. With his cell phone set to vibrate and strapped to his upper arm, Rhys went outside for a quick stretch and took off running to blow off a little steam before he would head back.

Typically he felt a little more settled by the time he made it downtown and the return trip would finish everything for him, but this day was a little different, and he continued jogging once there. His feet carried him past several stores along the sidewalk, and he glanced through windows as he ran. Rhys nearly tripped as he went by the little coffee shop, stumbling a bit when he saw Midori sitting there. They worked in the same department. He saw her regularly. She shouldn't make him trip just by existing in his sight anymore.

He ran for another block before finally slowing to a stop. He checked his pulse as he started walking back. When he started to pass the coffee shop, he made a quick decision and ducked inside. Rhys skipped by the counter and made a quick line to Midori's booth, sliding onto the seat in front of her. "Hey there, Ms. Hawkins. What's got you out of the office today?" he asked with a quick grin. He figured his colleague was out here officially, much unlike himself.

So he wasn't the best person at starting a conversation. He'd proven that before, and there was nothing wrong with proving it again.

[Midori Hawkins]

Of course Midori was there on more official grounds than Rhys. If a coffee break counted as 'official.' But at least she was courteous enough to give their boss a little more notice than simply up and disappearing. Not that she figured she'd be sent out to collect a teenager that had just distorted time or gravity, or had caused a tornado, and needed someone there now. Not with Tory at home. Rhys, Ella, and sometimes James himself were the lucky ones sent out on emergency calls. Mii had to admit, it was nice to have a bit more time to prepare for assignments.

She wasn't expecting company. Certainly not from one of her coworkers, because they were supposed to be working. The only exception to that might have been Florence, but that was someone Mii was okay to be avoiding. The other recruiter seemed to have it in her head that she needed to set Midori up with eligible men around the school. Namely, that red haired security guard that allegedly adored her.

Yeah, right. Flo was full of it sometimes.

So she was surprised when she suddenly found herself with company. Glancing up from her jumbled pile of receipts, she knew she looked a little stunned. Rhys was the last person she'd expected to join her. Arching an eyebrow at his adress, she considered her answer before giving it. "Well, Mr. Rockwood," she imitated his greeting. "I needed a shot of caffiene to make this report a little more appealling." Why was he here? "You look like you escaped unofficially." In other words, she was asking what the heck he thought he was doing out of the office. She was older, she was allowed to question it. "... And don't call me Ms. It makes me feel old."

[Rhys Rockwood]

His calls would forward to his cell phone, so unless someone came looking for Rhys in person (not something Rhys had ever considered), nothing bad should happen. At least, he didn't think anything bad would come of it. Had the thought crossed his mind, he might have reconsidered his run. He always seemed to be on thin ice with two strikes with Dr. Campbell. Perhaps he really didn't need to give his boss more reason to fire him.

"Well, you are older than me, not that anyone would have the slightest clue to that knowledge just by looking at us," he replied with a quick grin. Rhys wasn't about to let even the slightest negative comment about herself slip by him without rebuttal. "Although you're perfectly correct about my less than unofficial absence from the office. I felt like running, not sitting, so I ran instead. Made sense to me." He shrugged a little bit and chuckled.

Rhys glanced over at what she was working on and did a mock shudder. "Anyway, you don't want me to call you Ms., so I won't. But I must say, Lady Hawkins," okay, so he was teasing her just a little bit, "I don't think any amount of caffeine is going to make that bit of work appealing by the slightest degree. In fact, I'm not sure there's anything that can make dealing with old receipts appealing." He'd done those reports before. They all had, but that sure didn't make it any more fun.

[Midori Hawkins]

Mii was a naturally cautious person (not that it always showed…), and the idea of escaping the office without letting anyone know was just… irresponsible. Then again, maybe she was a little too hung up on the rules. It was just how she’d grown up. The responsible one, tagging after her oldest brother.

Yeah, she was a little boring like that.

… What was Rhys talking about? Mii glanced up again from the receipts and arched an eyebrow. Was he flirting? “… That’s… flattering.” She’d never been the kind of girl to accept compliments easily. Often, she wondered what motivated them. It didn’t really cross her mind that she invited them by being considered ‘pretty’. “James is going to notice, you know. He always does.” Which was why she made a point to ask, or at the very least, let him know.

Rhys was beginning to remind her of a younger version of Zach. At the vest least, they had the same level of responsibility. … And maturity, it seemed. “Lady isn’t much of an improvement,” she pointed out, making a slight face. “And it doesn’t really matter how appealing it is. It still has to get done. Besides, there are less distractions outside the office.” At least, normally there were. Resigning to the fact that the expense report wasn’t going to get done here either, she slid the folder shut and kept her focus on her companion. “Did you want some coffee or something?”

[Rhys Rockwood]

Rhys was a little irresponsible at times, but he had trouble sitting still for long periods of time. He always had energy, and sitting around just made it feel like he was about to burst. Running let off a lot of the energy and let him feel a little closer to settled. Of course Rhys was flirting. Midori was still herself; it would take a level of self-control he didn't possess to not flirt with her. Flattering her was something he wouldn't have too much trouble with...ever.

"Yeah, I think James lets me get away with it. I'm usually not gone long, just enough time to run from the school to downtown and back," Rhys explained a little. "Side effects and all. I always had lots of trouble just sitting for periods of time, but my personal development makes it even worse. I try not to run off too often." He smirked, aware he actually did run off a little too often. He was just lucky he could run it quickly.

It wasn't really meant to be an improvement. He'd been teasing her a bit. He passed her comment about his choice of titles for her. "I suppose you're right about it having to get done. It's just not any fun compared some parts of our job. Though, I can't say there are fewer distractions out here compared to in the office. Not much to do there except work, but here, there's way more."

He stretched his limbs a little bit, being careful to not brush his feet against Midori under the table. Rhys could feel his muscles tightening from the sudden stop of exercise, and it wasn't particularly comfortable. "Um, no, not terribly thirsty. I'll down a bottle of water when I get back to the office or something. Thanks for asking though."

[Midori Hawkins]

Since having Tory, the chance to have a moment to sit down without some sort of baby emergency was fully taken advantage of. Mii was actually enjoying being back at work, despite missing her son. Somehow, recruiting seemed so much more mundane than trying to decipher why Tory wouldn’t stop crying. Thankfully, that didn’t happen too often. He was a good baby.

Of course, flirting didn’t seem to happen all that often, so forgive her if she fails to notice.

“Well that’s good. At least he’s aware.” Sometimes she wondered how the head of their department did his job. At the best of times, the band of recruiters was a mess. Personalities clashed, paperwork got lost. Mii tried to steer clear of all that. “I guess side effects drive us all a little crazy sometimes.” Granted, she hadn’t felt hers in some time, being that she hadn’t shifted in a long time.

“Actually, I find this a lot easier. Fewer distractions.” At work, she had access to her email, where she could fire Eli a message. Or she could pick up the phone and call the babysitter, to ask how Tory was faring. “But I suppose I should go back soon.” Maybe. Or maybe she could drag this break out just a tad. Resting her chin on her hand, she smiled at her fellow recruiter. “So what’s the fun part for you? The travel?” Probably meeting women, but hey, she wasn’t going to judge.